The Mutated Crimson Flame Spider Matriarch Egg Stone

Back at the Elite Training Hall, students from each field filed into the simple shower stalls to rinse off. The rushing water echoed through the cubicles, steam rising like a fairyland.

Click.

After turning off the faucet, Jiang Qiu changed into a brand-new black shirt and trousers. He picked up the bloodstained, tattered clothes piled on the rack and casually tossed them into the trash can beneath the sink.

With his face slightly turned, the large mirror covering half the wall reflected a jawline sharp as a blade. His dark eyes, like precious gems set on either side of his nose bridge, mirrored the bulging muscles of his broad back like droplets of water.

He twisted his waist. The shoulders of his shirt, supported by his arms, rose and fell like mountains, while shadows gathered along the contours of his waist.

"After eating nearly a hundred pounds of Red-Armored Great Lizard meat in the secret realm, I really did get noticeably stronger."

Jiang Qiu raised a brow and rolled up his black shirt, revealing crisscrossing abdominal muscles. The bronze-colored grooves stood out sharply under the light, condensed and defined.

His build could not compare to the two-meter-tall Wu Shan's, nor was he as bulky as Zhang Shan, but simply standing there gave him the solid, immovable presence of a tree stump or iron pillar.

Iron Flesh

Trait: Copper Skin Iron Flesh, slay demons barehanded

402/1000

Yet even when combined with Copper Transformation, the toughness of this body found it somewhat difficult to withstand a strike from a Demon Plant at the level of a high-ranking demon beast. He might cough blood after taking a few dozen hits.

His progress with the Ancient Martial Spear was already outstanding. What he needed more was to improve his body's realm.

"Unfortunately, the Zhou Tian Qi Art is difficult to use in battle, so its body-tempering efficiency is a little slow."

Shaking his head, Jiang Qiu let his black shirt slide down from his fingertips and cover his abdominal muscles. He turned and walked out of the shower room, taking his backpack from the locker.

"Jiang Qiu."

A deep voice suddenly stopped him. Turning around, he saw Wu Shan walking over at an unhurried pace, the area above his right brow slightly sunken. "Are you sure you want to let the school buy back those three Demon Plant Fruits?"

Jiang Qiu's expression froze. "What is it, Teacher?"

"Director Zhao examined them carefully. Those three fruits are not entirely the essence of the Demon Plant. They were mutated from an egg stone produced by the Demon King Crimson Flame Spider Matriarch, making them a special kind of material." Wu Shan curled his lip. "Only the Crimson Flame Spider Matriarch can produce such things, and they have now subtly fused with the Demon Plant Fruits, accumulating tremendous life force."

The Demon King Crimson Flame Spider Matriarch?

Jiang Qiu's heart skipped a beat.

That was the Demon King who had plagued the Northwest Province ever since the secret realms first revived, leading demon races to breach Plateau City's Outer City on multiple occasions!

Yet although she was the greatest enemy in Xia Country's northwest, she had almost never appeared on the front lines. No martial artist in history had ever seen her true body.

I joined a practical training hunt meant for high school students and somehow picked up a treasure produced by her?

"You should know that an egg stone is worth far more than an ordinary Demon Plant Fruit. It can serve as a material for refining Advanced Su Fragrance. If you sell it for money, you would be better off asking an incense-refining expert to refine it. It is priceless."

At those words, Jiang Qiu's brows furrowed deeply.

Martial Spirit Incense was a beginner-level Su Fragrance with basic effects such as tempering the body. Spear Spirit Incense was an Intermediate Su Xiang, capable of providing enlightenment in a particular field.

As for Advanced Su Fragrance, he rarely heard about it.

"Advanced Su Fragrance is created by extracting the traits of its main material. For example, an incense-refining expert in the Jiangnan Province Region once used the Demon Core of a Dragon-shaped Demon Race to refine Dragon Transformation Su Fragrance. Those who soaked in its medicinal bath transformed to possess the Dragon-shaped Demon Race's resilient body, yet were not contaminated by demon blood."

A glint flashed through Wu Shan's cloudy right eye as his expression turned serious. "You had best not exchange this mutated egg stone for money. The school cannot possibly appraise it at a suitable price. If you want to hire an expert to refine it, I can help you find one."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Jiang Qiu nodded. "Then I'll trouble you, Teacher."

"Mhm. There will be a one-hundred-thousand introduction fee, as well as possible expenses for miscellaneous materials later on. I'll collect them from you."

Jiang Qiu's eyes widened. "How much?"

"You've already provided the main material, so the other materials will not be too expensive. Including the fee for the incense-refining expert, it will probably only be around five million."

Wu Shan spoke calmly, slowly placing both hands on his waist. "No need to open your mouth so wide. How could Advanced Su Fragrance be cheap? Especially when the main material is connected to the Demon King Crimson Flame Spider Matriarch. A high price is only normal. You also needn't worry about lacking money. I've already calculated your approximate earnings from this practical training hunt. The meat from roughly over two thousand demon beasts, including the materials from mid-ranking demon beasts—Field No. 8 was an Elite Field, so it gets one-third of the total. Originally, that would have been fourteen million, but after a ten percent increase, it comes to fifteen and a half million. You killed the most demons and accounted for three-fifths of the kills in the field, so you should receive nine million."

Nine million?!

Jiang Qiu quietly inhaled, his cheeks going numb.

With that much money, I wouldn't have to worry about anything. I could even buy an upper-end apartment in the Commoner District worth three million.

Still, the Commoner District was ultimately inferior to the Inner City. After all, the Outer City was at risk of being breached by sudden demon race attacks.

Although that money was not enough for the Inner City, it was enough to improve himself in many areas—to purchase equipment, replenish Blood Boil Agents, and buy body-tempering resources available on the market.

It would also give him opportunities to access precious resources.

After pursing his lips for a moment, Jiang Qiu clenched his burning fist. "How long will it take to refine the Advanced Su Fragrance?"

"The refining itself will not take long, but gathering the necessary materials will. Maybe one or two months. Generally speaking, it can be completed by the college entrance examination at the latest." The corner of Wu Shan's lips lifted slightly. "The value of Advanced Su Fragrance lies in its main material. Such things can only be encountered by chance."

"Let me think about it for a few days."

Jiang Qiu's gaze gradually darkened as several stifling emotions crowded into his chest.

He had not expected the Demon Plant Fruits to be connected to the Crimson Flame Spider Matriarch, nor for their value to be so great that it could not be measured in money.

Letting the school buy them back was undoubtedly the safest choice, but Teacher Wu had mentioned Advanced Su Fragrance—a martial arts resource a full level beyond Spear Spirit Incense. He was truly tempted.

But promising to spend five million after just a few words... I'm still not that bold.

"Mhm."

Wu Shan pondered for a moment. "You may not yet have a clear understanding of Advanced Su Fragrance. Once the other students finish showering, I'll distribute the resources earned during the practical training hunt. As the leading student of Field No. 8, with the most demon kills and the best performance, you should receive thirteen portions of Martial Spirit Incense and one portion of Spear Spirit Incense. Although there is a large quantity of Martial Spirit Incense, its effect is far inferior to when you used it for the first time, so do not hold too much hope. But as an Intermediate Su Xiang, a single portion of Spear Spirit Incense will benefit you for life. Even if you have already comprehended the Ancient Martial Spear to the proficient level, it will still be useful—stronger than ten million portions of Martial Spirit Incense!"

As his words fell, it felt as though a small leather hammer repeatedly struck Jiang Qiu's chest.

"But Spear Spirit Incense and Advanced Su Fragrance are not even on the same level."

With that final verdict, Wu Shan's hawk-like right eye fixed on Jiang Qiu's resolute face, still fresh from the shower, and he silently sighed.

Although he supported Zhao Gongzheng in applying for the Heavenly Prodigy Project on Jiang Qiu's behalf, the difficulty was immense.

The Martial Arts Education Department would not easily intervene. The more than one hundred geniuses who had already entered the Military Department were also unwilling to share their resources. Most of them were Inner City geniuses, proud and arrogant, and the people behind them did not want their sons and daughters to give up their fixed resources to an outsider who had suddenly appeared.

Applying for the Heavenly Prodigy Project for Jiang Qiu would most likely end in failure. He could only gamble on that slim chance of success.

But Jiang Qiu's talent could not be wasted.

Money should be spent where it mattered most. Advanced Su Fragrance was absolutely the first choice—and with a mutated Crimson Flame Spider Matriarch Egg Stone as its main material, he might very well obtain something from the legendary Crimson Flame Spider Matriarch.